The members of 2PM found their start under Korean musician Park Jin Young, who formed an eleven-member band known as One Day. Eventually the band was split into 2PM, and a similar but independent group known as 2AM. 2PM debuted with the song “10 Jeom Manjeome 10 Jeom” (10점 만점에 10점, lit. 10 Points Out of 10 Points), which showcased their acrobatic dance styles.[1] They achieved their first Number 1 single with “Again & Again”. Both singles featured on their first studio album, The First Album 1:59PM, released in 2009. The band went on to release another Korean album, known as Hands Up, in 2011. They made their Japanese debut later that year with Republic of 2PM.

Originally, the members of 2PM were part of a larger group known as One Day. A documentary called Hot Blood Men captured the group’s training days. In this documentary, former member Jaebeom finished at the top spot and received the most fan votes. It also featured the elimination of three trainees from the group: Lee Swichi, Im Daehun, and Yoon Doo-joon were all cut.

By the end of the training process, One Day had been reduced to an eleven-member group. However, before the group released any studio albums,[citation needed] the band was split into 2AM and 2PM.

Debut and controversy

Most Korean boy bands have adopted a “pretty boy” (Korean: ggotminam) image. JYP Entertainment opted to brand them as a more mature group.[3]

Jaebeom was chosen to serve as the group’s leader, as he was the oldest member and also the one where all the members acknowledged as the most talented one. He would play key roles in several of the band’s early singles and associated music videos.

2PM debuted with their single “10 Out of 10” (10점 만점에 10점) on 4 September 2008. In October 2008, they began to promote “Only You”, another song from their debut mini album, Hottest Time of the Day.

In April 2009, the group released their second mini album, 2:00PM Time For Change, which they began promoting that month. In May they won their first Mutizen Song award on M!Countdown, followed by two more and a Music Bank award. On 11 June, 2PM began promotions for “Niga Mipda” (니가 밉다, lit. I Hate You) on M!Countdown. In July 2PM achieved first place on the M!Countdown and Music Bank charts for the song “Niga Mipda”. On 30 July, 2PM won the ‘Only One Song’ award on M!Countdown.

Later that year a controversy regarding Jaebeom emerged. On 4 September 2009, articles surfaced on the internet regarding Jaebeom‘s posts from 2005 on his personal Myspace account, in which he expressed his dislike for Korea while still a trainee for JYP Entertainment. These posts, leaked by a netizen who hacked his Myspace account, were taken out of context and severely misinterpreted by the Korean media.Jaebeom issued an apology regarding this matter.Although some demanded that Jaebeom should be forced out of 2PM, JYP Entertainment CEO Park Jin-young stated on 7 September lent the singer a vote of confidence, suggesting that he would remain in the group. Yet the following day, Jaebeom announced on his official fancafe that he would leave the group and return to the United States for a while to calm the situation. He planned to return to school and improve his understanding of music. At the same time, he apologized to his fellow band members for not being a good leader and older brother for them. He also promised to come as a better person.Park Jin-young confirmed that 2PM would continue on as a six-member group.Due to the sensitive topic of Jaebeom‘s departure, 2PM withdrew for several weeks from their appearances on variety shows.